Two years ago the EU passed the EU Whistleblowing Directive and started the clock on a December 2021 deadline. If you have 250 or more employees, time is swiftly running out to ensure you're compliant.
Each EU country has until December 2021 to implement the Directive into law. Some countries have already finalised their laws, but where they haven't, EU law might apply directly.
What is the EU Whistleblowing Directive?
Under the Directive, businesses and government bodies operating in any EU country must set up an internal whistleblowing system to give whistleblowers confidentiality and provide access to an independent investigation.
Two deadlines apply depending on workforce size:
- Businesses and government bodies with 250 or more employees must be compliant by 17 December 2021.
- Businesses and government bodies with between 50 and 249 employees have a further two years and must be compliant by 17 December 2023.
The Directive aims to create a minimum standard across the EU and give whistleblowers protection in all member states, fixing the inconsistent approaches taken by countries historically.
Whistleblowing: what's changing for businesses with EU based operations
Sign up to our webinarHow we can help
If you're unsure of how to tackle the Directive requirements, we're here to help. We offer an exclusive and integrated whistleblowing service that'll help you ensure compliance and protect your business.
We'll help you respond to legal concerns raised by whistleblowing complaints appropriately and resolve any underlying compliance problems. If needed, we can also provide access to legal advice in more complex cases.
Our European whistleblowing service is formed of three parts to help you prepare, protect your business and resolve issues as swiftly as possible.
- Prepare - Our team will help prepare your business for the required changes. We'll guide you through what needs to be done and the best approach to take.
- Protect - We'll create a helpline which lets whistleblowers raise complaints with confidence and protects you from reputational issues. Our helpline guarantees whistleblower anonymity and is accessible 24/7 by internal, external and temporary employees. It can be tailored to your needs and to give you peace of mind we can manage this for you, reinforcing independence.
- Resolve - Once a complaint has been made you need to investigate and resolve it as quickly as possible. We'll work with you to resolve issues efficiently and work through any wider compliance issues that may arise from complaints, protecting your business from reputational and legal risk.
For more information on how working with our expert team will benefit you, download our brochure. If you'd like to discuss any aspects of the Directive, or whistleblowing in general, please get in touch.
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